


When Rose Color Glasses Break

by Aweebwrites



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Evil, Angst, Blood and Gore, Gore, Hallucinations, Hurt No Comfort, Pain, Schizophrenia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 06:20:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19312378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: The line between imagination and reality can easily be blurred. Waking up is the hard part.





	When Rose Color Glasses Break

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sayijo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayijo/gifts).



> Love yah Sayijo!

"Hey Cry, you up for some R&R?" Kai says, standing by the doorway to the Monastery, watching him smoke.

The Nindroid blew out a breath of smoke, cybernetic eyes watching as it vanished into the air. He flicked the butt of the cigarette into his mouth as he straightened up from his place leaned against the walls of the Monastery and walked over to Kai, chewing the cigarette but intimidatingly.

"Sure." Cryptor spoke, standing before Kai.

The fire ninja snickered.

"Whatever you say Edgelord." He says, leading him inside.

Kai dropped down on the couch and Cryptor sat next to him.

"We do this enough times that you shouldn't be embarrassed anymore Cry." Kai huffed then tugged him down so he was awkwardly sprawled against his chest.

"Fuck the shut up Kai." Cryptor grumbled, adjusting himself to lay properly against Kai, purring quietly once he ran his fingers through his hair.

There was a moment of peaceful silence before Kai spoke.

"How are the nightmares?" Cryptor tensed a little but forced himself to relax.

"You know how they are." He tried not to sound too irritated.

He always invades Kai's bed and cling to him like a child when it hits. He hasn't been remembering these recent ones but they've been terrible, he knows. Just the thought of nightmare sent a cold, terrified chill down his spine.

"It might help if you talk about it, Cry." Kai huffed, flicking his nose and Cryptor glared threateningly up at him.

Kai only poked his forehead before returning to his hair.

"What's there to talk about? They're all gone by the time I wake up. I can't remember anything." Cryptor told him then frowned. "And frankly, I like it that way." He added.

"That can't be healthy Cry." Kai says, frowning as well said frown deepening when Cryptor huffed.

"Says the one who drinks _hot sauce_." He pointed out and Kai couldn't hold back a smile.

"That sauce has nothing on me." Kai grinned and Cryptor rolled his eyes.

He didn't know when he fell asleep, just that he was waking up again. He blinked groggily, feeling the chest beneath his head raising and lowering slowly. Kai must be sleeping. He closed his eyes again, ready to drive off when a voice brushed his ears. He blinked his eyes open again. What?

_"Cryptor…"_

Pixal? What's she doing here? Visiting Zane? Why did she sound so far away?

_"Cryptor… Can you hear me?"_

Her voice was getting stronger, louder.

"Pixal?" He slurred, confused.

Why was he so groggy? He lifted his head a bit, looking around blearily. Everything looks off, too out of focus, too… Unreal. Everything was blending into each other and he felt fear grip him.

_What the actual hell?_

_"Yeah, it's me brother. Time to wake up..."_

Wake up? But he wasn't asleep?

"I… I don't get it. Wake up? I'm not sleeping… Am I?" He whispered the last bit, finding the space around him as nothing but a warped blurr with strange light sources.

_"Cryptor… You're dreaming still. You have to snap out of it. Father needs you."_

Cyrus?

_"Focus on the sound of my voice."_

_What the hell is this?_

He saw a shadow move in his vision and spotted the white hand. He focused on it- and watched horrified as the blur fell away. What? He looked around at the high tech room, at Pixal who stood before him.

"Where… Were are we?" He asked, his voice sounding low and underused.

"At Borg Tower of course." Pixal told him, walking over to a table and tapped it, allowing holograms to appear.

He blinked. Why did it look so different? What the hell is going on around here? He stepped forward- or attempted to. It was an attempt that failed. He landed on the ground hard, tripping over something. He turned over on his back with a groan then blinked once he looked up at what be tripped over- of out of. It was some kind of weird standing pod, like something out of the movies.

"What the hell is this thing?" He asked, pushing himself to his feet, a little thrown that Pixal didn't even seem concerned that he had just fell.

She gave an annoyed sigh, yet another sign that something was up here.

"Frankly, if watching you readjust wasn't so amusing and entertaining, I would have long plugged you into the mainframe for this." She sighed then looked over at Cryptor with flat, glowing green eyes. "That is your old charging port. You like to stay in there and disassociate for weeks and even months at a time. It's pathetic but expected of you." She says, tapping and shifting the holograms.

Cryptor looked at her surprised, hurt but mostly feeling suspicion. Pixal would never say something like that, call anyone pathetic. She would never act so cold and uncaring either.

What the actual fuck is going on around here? He needed to find the ninja and quick. No doubt Pixal has been-

"Reprogrammed?" His head snapped up to look at her in surprise. "Your thought process is the same every time I have to wake you up out of your chosen hibernation. It's become so predictable." She says, showing a book display of current and thought processes.

_'What the actual fuck.'_

His thought was echoed in the room before she shut it down.

"Father wants to see you. And yes, it's Mr. Borg. Also, no. I have not been reprogrammed." She says, heading towards the elevator.

Cryptor stood there for a moment, contemplating if he should go but if she can bring him to their father then he should be able to figure out what the hell is going on around here. He followed after her, the elevator opening for them. He was surprised that the elevator went down and not up. He shot her a wary look. Pixal gave an annoyed sigh.

"Father is working on a project that Borg Tower cannot hold. He is making it in New Ninjago Park." She says, crossing her arms.

Cryptor looked her over, heart aching. _Where did his sister go?_

"What happened to you?" He couldn't help but ask, his voice low.

She looked at him coldly.

"Nothing. You on the other hand have quite the many faults. You're physically outdated since you insist on sleeping through each and every manual update. You're nothing more than a useless Nindroid who would rather spend his time with his head in the clouds, creating alternative lives in your head instead of facing the world as it is. The only reason you haven't been replaced, _General Cryptor,_ is due to the entertainment you offer father and I." The smile that lifted her face was off-putting. "You see, we have… _Unique_ tastes once it comes on to such a thing." She hummed and the elevator dinged open then.

_What the actually fuck is all this? What did he get himself into? What means of entertainment did they fucking mean?!_

He looked out and saw armed, humanoid figures standing perfectly still along the walkway to the exit. They… _They were Nindroids_ … The only thing that made that clear was the metallic facial appearance they kept as well as their glowing red eyes. The bulky cybernetic right eye he had, they lacked. They were all speak with very few features that tells them apart from the others.

"Let's go already. Father does not like to be kept waiting." Pixal says, walking ahead and he hesitated before walking behind her, glancing at the Nindroids he vaguely recognised as he did.

Once they were out the door, there was a hovercopter in the middle of where a road certainly was before. Inside the driver's seat was a Nindroid. Pixal got in without pause and he did too. The city from what he could see was so quiet. Where were all the people? The hustle and bustle? The Hovercopter rose up and he looked up at Borg tower. It looked like it always had but it felt so different… So much more sinister…

"Take us to Mr. Borg Mindroid." Cryptor whipped his head around at that, staring at the fully sized Nindroid in shock.

"Roger." Mindroid acknowledged, voice perfectly cut and not squeaks and chirps of binary.

What the actual fuck? Mindroid was dead! The Overlord killed him _and_ the other Nindroids! His eyes narrowed in suspicion. The Overlord. Could this be his doing? He looked up at the gigantic needle like tower they were approaching that had three large rings around it. _He had a feeling he was about to find out, whether he liked it or not._ Mindroid flew the craft towards the tip, high above the cloud line and docked onto the loading area at the very top of the needle.

Pixal walked out immediately and Cryptor anxiously followed behind. What choice did he have really? He had no clue where the Ninja were. He could check the monastery but he had a feeling they weren't there. He looked around the narrow hallway, looking for escape routes in case things took a nasty turn. Unfortunately for him, there was only the hallway that had glowing lines in the walls, leading towards the room ahead. He stepped into the brightly lit room, eyes automatically adjusting to seeing in this intense level of light. Funny how he doesn't remember having an update like that.

"We're here." Pixal called out and Cryptor looked around anxiously, spotting a panel lowering from the conical ceiling.

There was a figure seated on it as it lowered. His sensors recognised him as Cyrus Borg. The platform merged with the ground, leaving Cyrus seated on some kind of hoverchair, wearing black out goggles and holding a blowtorch.

"Ah! Cryptor! Glad you could make it!" He says cheerily but Cryptor was suspicious.

"What is this thing?" He asked, glancing around the inside of the giant contraption again.

"Ah this? This is a project I'm working on! I can it the Borg Needle for now." He explained, hovering closer.

"Should I get back to checking the programs?" Pixal asked him, earning their attention.

"Yes, go ahead." Cyrus approved and Pixal walked over to the center of the room, allowing several holograms to appear around her.

He watched her type on a holographic keyboard at Nindroid speed then turned back to Cyrus.

"Confused?" Cyrus spoke before Cryptor could ask and he nods slowly, still wary. "I suspected you would be. You always are when you've returned to the real world. Don't worry, I'll bring you back up to speed." He smiled then steered his hover chair away, gesturing for Cryptor to follow.

"You have this habit of looking yourself into your old charging port, especially when you no longer need it. I've long unlocked the secrets to Zane's core and improved it. You won't ever need a charge again. It's clean, renew energy!" He says as Cryptor followed, frowning.

"I don't recall having- or needing- a charger." Cryptor says with narrowed eyes.

"Of course you don't!" He laughed and Cryptor stopped in his tracks, alarm bells going off as he watched Cyrus also stop without looking back at him. "Frankly I don't see the flaw in you as one that I made. I see it as one you choose to develop." He continued and he reached for his katana- holding it defensively.

_What the fuck is going on._

"Ah. Poor little Cryptor. You meet the Ninja once, hear them talk about freedom and the right thing then you start thinking, getting ideas." Cyrus sounded annoyed now. "And then you resort to creating hallucinations to fit your desires. They're amusing to watch." He chuckled.

_'What are best friends for?'_

He whipped his head around at Kai's voice, only to look up at the giant holographic screen before him, playing intimate and personal memories with the ninja. The voices overlap as they continued to flicker and change.

"Let's take out time picking them apart again, shall we?" Cyrus says and Cryptor turned around to point his sword at Cyrus, breathing heavily with panic.

 _This can't be his father! Cyrus would never do this! Act like this!_ Cyrus chuckled then got to his feet, startling Cryptor.

"And what do you hope to do with this ancient device?" Cyrus asked, unimpressed then flicked the sword with his finger, shattering it like glass instantly.

Cryptor stumbled back, looking at the hilt of his sword as he trembled, breathing only getting heavier as his anxiety levels quickly reached critical. Cyrus chuckled, pulling off his goggles, revealing overcasted, glowing, light blue eyes.

"It's time for a reality check, _son_ ." He smiled playfully. "Which hallucination should we start with first? Your so called ' _acceptance_ ' into the ninja's ranks? Your obsession with the master of fire, Kai? Perhaps all of them at once." He hummed, walking around him.

 _No. He refused to believe this_. This- His eyes widened.

"The Overlord is behind this, isn't he." Cryptor says factually, tossing the broken sword aside, anger and fear filling him.

He hoped he would never have to face him again but he will if he had to. For the sake of his family. Pixal burst out laughing then, loud and heartily, gaining their attention.

"Forgive me Father." She giggled out once she calmed down a little. "I know I had promised to let you have fun this time but that was too much." She says, swiping away nothing from under her eye as she grinned at them.

"No, I understand. It's amazing how he has readopted to the mindframe that the Overlord still exists after his first defeat." Cyrus says, amused and Cryptor was even more confused. "You know this Cryptor. The Overlord never came back for a second attack. That was all me." He flashed Cryptor a sinister smile.

Cryptor felt himself lock in place as his mind registered the trigger words 'it was all me'.

_Forced memory reboot initiated._

_Opening process: Monologue_

**_'I would explain this all right now and enjoy reality hit you slowly but time is of the essence.'_ **

 

_He remembers being created, remembering the Overlord sending him out._

 

**_'My plans are mere moments away from finally coming to fruition and I decline to put them off further than needed.'_ **

 

_He remembers chasing after the ninja, after Lloyd, remembered attacking the ninja at the lightning farm, remembered failing, remembered reawakening to elecrocobri, remembering battling Zane, remembered attacking the Samurai in Borg Tower._

 

**_'By now, your real memories are surfacing, not the fake ones you've immersed yourself in.'_ **

 

_He had returned with the Golden weapons from the comet and brought it down to the factory where he was waiting, the Overlord. Except..._

'Good work cryptor.' _Cryus says, with a smirk, watching as it began to be melted down._

_He was the true Overlord. The Overlord never came back after his first defeat. Cyrus had tricked all of Ninjago into thinking he did. The digital Overlord was nothing but a virus designed by Cyrus himself, just so he could get his hands on the Golden Weapons. He wanted the golden power to redesign this realm._

 

**_'Ninjago is always in need of fixing. Always missing something. This realm is nothing but a useless pile of rocks. The people are just as backwards as the ones who created it. So I intend on using the Golden Power to recreate this realm in an improved image.'_ **

 

_The ninja looked on shocked to see their opponent was Cyrus Borg himself, adorning a cybernetic suit fused with the gold from the Golden Weapons to allow him to wear it._

'Cyrus?! Why!' _Kai had yelled at him as they faced off._

'This isn't the way! You won't win!' _Garmadon had yelled too but Cyrus only chuckled._

'Don't mistake me for you, Lord Garmadon. You have always been nothing but weak.' _The words were said coldly._

_There was a sudden rumble then screams and yells of horror as a spike of earth shot up, impaling their precious Sensei._

'Dad! No!'

'Garmadon!'

'Brother!'

'You monster!'

_Garmadon coughed up blood, reaching a hand out towards his son blindly, only to go limp, his lifeless eyes still on his son. Lloyd lost it after that, attacking Cyrus head on but he was nothing short of precise and calculated. He had them all trapped before they could even get close enough to him._

'You six still have use to me.' _Cyrus says then pulled out a strange crystal._ 'A gift from Chen. He sends his hatred. He would give it himself but I'm afraid… He and his followers couldn't make it…'

_Nya chose that time to spring an attack but Cryptor was watching her the entire time. She came up behind Cyrus and he came up behind her, grabbing her by the face._

'Let's start with you…'

 

**_'There are still others out there trying to stop me. A resistance. A small one from what we know so far. It's becoming annoying…'_ **

 

_Cyrus had all their powers. Fire, Earth, Lightning, Ice and even Water, Creation and Destruction. The Crystal has the power to take the elemental powers from a corpse, as long as it still resided there. Cryptor wasn't focusing on Cyrus after that. He had a task: destroy the ninja._

 

**No!**

 

_He remembered laughing as his soldiers overpowered them, holding them in place as he walked forward with his katana dragging against the ground._

 

**No! I-!**

 

_Lloyd was first. His terrified but defiant. He remembered smirking at the prophesied savior, remembered mocking him. He remembered taking his head. Remember their screams, remembered their sobs, remembered his wide green eyes looking up at him as his blood soaked into his clothes._

 

**No, Lloyd! I wouldn't… I…**

 

_Jay begged him not to. He stabbed him in the mouth mid beg, severing his spine and killing him instantly. He laughed as he dropped like a rag doll._

 

**Jay… Please, I…**

 

_Cole managed to break free and punch him. Mindroid finished him off. A low stab from lower back to chest killed him in seconds._

 

**Cole, no… I couldn't…**

 

_He dismissed Wu, thinking he was a waste of his time and energy, only hearing the telltale sound of his neck snapping as he walked by Zane who was doomed in Pixal's hands to get to Kai._

'You'll pay for this!' _Kai yelled at him._

'We'll see about that..' _He held up his katana, soaked red with blood._

'You're nothing more than Borg's slave! You can't even think for yourself! What do you think will happen when Borg gets tired of you?!' _He yelled at him and Cryptor sneered at him, gripping his sword._

 

**No, no please! Not-**

 

 _Kai doubled over with a grunt of pain then looked down at the sword plunged into his stomach. Cryptor then kicked him back off the sword and stormed off._ He doesn't know anything.

 

**_'I need you to end it, once and for all.'_ **

 

_Operation Monologue: End_

_Memory Reboot: Complete_.

 

Cryptor's body unlocked and he collapsed, staring blankly at the floor, remembering everything now. They were right. The world he's made for himself… Everything was a lie. This world… He looked up at his creator blankly, his formerly mortal body filled with the power from the golden weapons as well as the power of every single elemental that lived. His technology guided the power into his body slowly over these past years. He must have finally drained all the power the Golden Weapons have. When he last escaped to his world, he was still armored up.

"Old but still amusing." Cyrus chuckled, loving the sight of his son's fight, all his will drain out of him with every awakening. "The rebel group have been spotted near the edge of New Ninjago City just now. Follow and eliminate them." He says coldly then used gravity to lift himself off the ground, back towards the panel he was working on.

"And try not to fail this time." Pixal added as Cryptor got to his feet, yet again a shell of who he was and who he had imagined himself to be.

"Right." He says then walked out, back to the Hovercopter. "You know where we need to go." Cryptor says once he was seated inside.

Mindroid only undocked and steered thr hovercopter to their destination.

_______________

Cryptor looked around the Nindroid supply house, at the variety of weapons and vehicles set up for them to use against the people. The people were around. They lived in fear and kept their distance from Borg Tower. They knew better than to try and leave the city however. Much worse fight. They were Nindroids. They had no mercy on any organic that wasn't their creator. Which meant bodies were cremated daily from the unfortunate to show anything than fear and submission to a Nindroid.

He walked over to a rack of plasma and techno swords, looking at them longingly. He reached out for one but all he could see was blood on his hands and on the blades. He flinched back from them then tightened his fist. He moved on to the laser guns instead. Once he loaded up on a weapon, he took his designated bike, Mindroid waiting on him on his own. _Well. Looks like he had a watcher._ Wouldn't want Cyrus and Pixal's favourite toy to run off. If he had then someone had to take his place. No-one liked to be picked apart mentally and physically for fun after all.

"Let's go." Cryptor says then pulled out, Mindroid driving on his own motorcycle behind him.

They made quick work of leaving the city center, turning on their cloaking devices so they were zipping through the streets, completely invisible. There were people around, dressed in monochromatic and dull clothes, looking socially starved, unable to speak freely without being taken down by a Nindroid. _He hated this._ No wonder why he made up that world to be in. New Ninjago City was even more technologically advanced than in his imagination. But it was somehow more beautiful here. Tragically so. He came to the edge of the city and spotted the remains of the Destiny's Bounty. _Of course._

"You take perimeter. I'll go in." Cryptor says over the comms, turning off his camouflage since the dust the bike would kick up on the sand would give him away anyway.

He then came to a stop in front of the Bounty and walked in through a massive hole, holding a laser gun firmly in hand. He scans the area round him, looking for any life signs. He grunted as he was hit over the head, leaving the gun to clatter away from him as he fell.

"I was hoping Borg would send you." Cryptor's eyes widened at the familiar voice and he flipped over, looking up at Kai with wide eyes.

Was this another hallucination? He scans ahead of him and- this wasn't a hallucination. It was Kai. _The real Kai._ He held a blade at Cryptor's throat.

"You killed my friends, Lloyd. My sister!" He yelled at him and Cryptor recalled how he killed her.

Split in two at the stomach by his sword. She was third to die. Her lifeless eyes were opened still as her entrails fell out once she collapsed. Messy.

"Are you going to kill me?" Cryptor asked him blankly.

"You better fucking believe I am!" He growled at him.

"Then do it." Cryptor says, looking up at him with blank eyes.

_'I'm sorry Kai…'_

Kai looked down at him in disbelief. He wasn't going to let the chance pass him however. He lifted his sword and went to stab him in his chest- when gray matter and blood spewed from his forehead, startling Cryptor. Kai collapsed on top of a wide eyed Cryptor, his blood pouring over his chest, into his clothes.

"Weak and pathetic." He looked towards the hole in the ships hull to see Mindroid standing there, pulling back his laser gun.

Rage filled Cryptor as he gently pushed Kai's corpse off of him. His friend! Perhaps not in this life but his friend all the same! His _best_ friend! _Dead!_

"You bastard!" Cryptor yelled as he charged at him and Mindroid swept his legs from under him, pinning his arm behind his back.

"You're nothing more than an outdated pile of scrap." Mindroid spat then stood on his back, pulling his arm back and twisting, leaning Cryptor to yell out as the mechanics in his arm began to grind together and strain. "You have one job. _One_. The last ninja was the only resistance left. The mortal had driven himself crazy with his revenge. No-one would follow him anywhere, not if they wanted to live. It doesn't matter anyway. They will all die." He says then released Cryptor and walked out, leaving Cryptor to grunt as he forced himself up, his arm malfunctioning from the strain.

"What the hell do you mean they'll all die?!" He yelled after Mindroid, using the shop as support to stand.

"You'll find out soon enough." Mindroid says from the outside, waiting for the outdated Nindroid impatiently.

"How the fuck am I supposed to drive with only one functioning arm?" Cryptor growled out once his arm completely gave out on him.

"That's your problem now, isn't it?" Mindroid says with a glare then drove off.

___________

"He failed. _Again_." Pixal says to her father once he was finished with the mechanical aspect of the weapon.

"Is that any surprise at this point?" Cyrus says as he slipped his gloves off and his glasses on that held no lenses.

He was too used to the feeling after all but the lens were unnecessary at this point.

"It doesn't matter. It's time we get rid of the old, broken toy." Cyrus says, walking over to the holograms as Pixal stepped out of his way. "Initiating protocol: Roundup." He says, activating it.

"Now is the time for the future. We'll have better toys in New Ninjago." He smirked and Pixal grinned.

Every Nindroid spread out through New Ninjago city lifted their heads then, the protocol activating in them at the same time. They all began the move towards the Borg Needle, confusing the mortals as they all suddenly moved. Cryptor managed to make it back thanks to autopilot on the bike and noticed the entire army of Nindroids entering the needle. Something flared in his memory.

_That's right._

Borg intends on recreating Ninjago. But to do that… He had to destroy it first. Inside the needle, two panels rose up as Pixal entered a safety pod to prevent her from being restored by her father's sheer power. She smirked, watching him slip his hands into the slots, activating his glowing blue power to feed the needle. Digitalized veins of blue ran up his arms, spiderwebbing from the corners of his overcasted eyes as he glowed with the intensity of his power. Pixal's scanners were unable to even estimate the level of power he currently has. Just one blow from him and Ninjago won't even be history. She smirked. 

_So long, **Cry**. _

Cryptor watched as the circle on the needle's tip sparked blue and began glowing, the winds picking up as the energy traveled down the needle. He couldn't stop that. What's the point anyway? He looked down at the bike and punched in a new destination, holding on as he brought it there. He didn't look back as the needle began to glow bright, the rings, sparking up gold as people watched from all around whispering, a fearful few even running. Why run? There's no escaping that.

Cyrptor slipped off the bike once he was at his destination, walking up to the abandoned Borg Tower. He walked in, holding his limp arm and stepped into the elevator. The tower was already the brightest thing, no doubt able to be seen for miles. He didn't care. He had nothing left anyway and living wasn't appealing. He walked out of the elevator then through the old workshop of his so called father. He walked into the second room and looked at his old charging station. He opened it with his good hand and slipped on, closing the door. He heard a massive explosion go off but squeezed his eyes shut.

_"Let's sleep for a while longer, Cry." Kai says and he looked around at his friends, all cuddled up around him, smile at him happily._

_He smiled and closed his eyes._

"Yeah…"

The explosion emitted from the tower tore the realm of Ninjago apart, reducing it to nothing. Everything outside the needle died instantly, ripped apart to nothing. As soon as the explosion happened, it was undone, the reconstruction solely overseen by the mastermind, the new God of **_New_** Ninjago. Inside the tower, Cyrus panted as his powers weakens from exertion. It would take a few days to recover so he can tweak the new realm accordingly. But first…

He pulled a hand out of the slot and used security footage from the needle's external power to see the outside world. He looked at it wide eyed and amazed.

"Father…" Pixal whispered in awe as she walked over, looking at the world outside.

_"... It's perfect."_


End file.
